Multivariate analysis on the evolution of flavor-related chemical contents during three-years ripening of Pixian doubanjiang

Abstract Following the ripening process of Pixian doubanjiang (DBJ), the evolution of flavor-related chemical contents impacts the maturing of flavor. During three stages of DBJ ripening: initial mature (IM), mature and deep mature (DM), 75 flavor-related chemical variables from the major volatile components (VCs), organic acids (OAs), sugars, fatty acids (FAs) and free amino acids (FAAs) were included for multivariate analysis. Twenty VCs, 6 OAs, 6 FAAs, 2 sugars and 1 FA flavor-related variables were identified as discriminative features between IM and mature stage, while 17 VCs, 17 FAAs, 7 sugars, 2 OAs and 1 FA distinguished between the mature and DM stages. Ten key variables were obtained, five each from the mature and DM stages. Sucrose could be a potential index to discriminate the DM of DBJ from the other two stages. This study may help improve the process and quality control of DBJ manufacturing.